OLYMPIA – Whether she realized it or not last spring when wielding her “partial veto” pen, Gov. Chris Gregoire has prompted a hodgepodge of pot laws around the state and a fair amount of confusion among the cities. In Seattle, where possession of a small amount of marijuana is less likely to bring public condemnation than drinking mediocre coffee, medical marijuana dispensaries are being told to register as businesses, pay their taxes, meet building codes and comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. But be advised: No-smoking laws apply to smoking medical marijuana, too.

The Pullman City Council will vote next week on adopting a moratorium on medical marijuana community gardens. City Attorney Laura McAloon advised the council to take that action Tuesday, saying many other Washington cities, such as Issaquah and Tacoma, have passed such moratoriums. The action would temporarily ban medical marijuana growing operations, she said. Cities and counties are not allowed to pass permanent ordinances that would prohibit the gardens outright.

The owners of two medical marijuana dispensaries in Spokane have been indicted by a federal grand jury. Charles Wesley Wright and Jon Richard Vivian, owners of the THC Pharmacy on South Perry Street, and Jerry Wayne Laberdee and Dennis Lewis Whited, owners of Medical Herb Providers, face time in federal prison under multi-count indictments filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

GRANTS PASS, Ore. – Oregon lawmakers have decided to tap the popular medical marijuana program for an estimated $7 million to fund other health programs and reject a pile of bills that would have made it much tougher for people to get a medical marijuana card. It’s a legislative attitude adjustment that had marijuana advocates crying foul at the idea of doubling the annual fees charged of marijuana patients to $200. But they think they it may move Oregon closer to their goal of bringing medical marijuana into the mainstream economy where it can be readily available to anyone and taxed.

Federal agents, assisted by Spokane Police, are currently raiding marijuana dispensaries including one on Freya Street just north of the intersection with Sprague Avenue. Spokane Police Detective Tom Hendren said he was assisting the federal Drug Enforcement Administration with a federal warrant, but he could not give any more specifics.